Help, my DJ has cancelled/let me down!

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I'm not too sure about the word " competition ". While a lot of the folk I know are indeed fishing in the same pond, I regard them totally as allies, and not opposition. The help and advice offered is beyond price.

I use the term purely in a business sense.

I'm not up against Ronnie Ropelights and his £150 budgets for work so those guys (and their clients) have no impact on the sphere I operate in) the guys in the group however who all pretty much specialise in £500+ weddings, whilst friends and colleagues, economically and in a business sense are who I'm competing against for bookings.

There will always be emergency situations caused by illness or accidents but many of these last minute enquiries are indeed about customers not booking reliable dj's. This is what SEDA was set up to combat over 40 years ago and to some degree it has done so. Originally it was a restricted membership only open to those endorsed by fellow members or prepared to undergo a vetting procedure but unfortunately (in my opinion) that was allowed to lapse and the association became focussed on equipment and numbers. More recently however it has become more about educating its members and I do believe the nes committee is thinking about returning to its original raison d'etre. It has though continued over the long period of its existence enabled genuine emergencies to be covered by fellow members. I remember personally when I got rushed into hospital my wife was able to get fellow members who were free to cover my gigs - and thats how it should be and avoids those last minute emergency calls from clients who have been let down. Over the years SEDA has arbitrated in disputes and investigated members who have had complaints made against them by other members or the public and has imposed warnings and even expulsions where required.
One a side note I do recall one occasion a few years ago where another well known dj asked me to cover a local wedding for him. There was not much info available even though it had been booked in advance. He paid me in advance of the gig as he had already got the money. Eventually just before the gig he asked me to pretend to be him and said the bride and groom would not know the difference as he hadnt met them. It transpired that he had another gig AND had charged them far more than he paid me to cover it about a week before the event. I made SEDA members aware of his behaviour and I made no attempt to impersonate him at the gig which went off well.

I would love West of Scotland Amp to arbitrate but unfortunately when any issues arise - many ethical, plenty financial and some verging on criminal, it's either swept under the rug or a case of "don't air your dirty laundry in public, we're meant to be professionals here."

That's why so many of them don't like me - I'm one of the few people who is quite willing and prepared to call someone out publicly - right is right.

[Excalibur]

That's why so many of them don't like me - I'm one of the few people who is quite willing and prepared to call someone out publicly - right is right.

Not like you, Jim? I find that hard to believe, they're obviously heathens and imbeciles! Why you're naught but a little ray of sunshine.

I too am well known for my predilection for calling a spade a manually operated soil inverting implement.

Right, certain observations here have given me food for thought, and I believe it justifies its own thread, maybe even with a poll. When I've created it, I'll put a link here, meanwhile, keep up the good work, lads. This one has already been pure gold.